That something is known as perfection and Holmdel junior Michael Chen achieved it.

Chen went 35-0 and capped his season with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Millburn junior Tyler Schick in the NJSIAA Singles Tournament championship match at Mercer County Park.

"The title is more meaningful to me," Chen said. "Being unbeaten is nice, but going 6-0 in the state tournament feels the best. I felt I was obviously one of the best players coming into the season, but I obviously did not expect to go unbeaten. I did not expect to play so well in the state tournament.

"Winning it was really nice."

Chen was seeded second. Schick, who ended his season at 34-1, was ranked first. Shick had beaten Chen in four straight United States Tennis Association tournaments.

"He beat me pretty badly in them," Chen said. "I was not expecting to play as well as I did. Sometimes, it is tough for me to play well."

Chen expected to have to earn the championship.

"I knew it was going to be tough," he said, "but I was able to get a good rest. It allowed me to play my best tennis on that day. I had maybe nine hours of sleep and felt refreshed. It was kind of hot in the first set and I was not feeling too well. In the second set, it cooled down a bit. I was able to play better.

"In the first set, I felt a little of fatigue. As I started to play better in the second set, my adrenalin started to pump."

Chen walked off the court giving his play a high grade.

"Honestly," he said, "I think everything was working well that day. It was just a pretty well-played match. I am not going to take anything from him, but I feel I was able to play one of the best matches I have played in a while."

The 6-foot-2 Chen entered the match as the underdog.

"Being able to win a tough match as the underdog made the title special," he said. "I was able to make my coach (Chuck Chelednik), my family and my friends proud. I was not surprised to win it, but I was surprised at how well I was able to play in the final. That made the title really special."

Chen hopes to achieve an encore as the state's top first singles player next season.

"I think I just have to practice hard in the summer and winter," he said. "When the spring comes, I will be well prepared. I will come back playing better. I have to work on trying to stay consistent. I obviously won the quarterfinals and the semifinals, but they were very difficult. I was not playing at my highest level.

"The championship match was more manageable. I was able to contain my own shots and not let him attack me."

Chen, a 170-pounder, is focused on and off the court.

"The keys to my success this year were discipline, hard work and a good mental approach toward the game," he said. "There were times when my friends wanted me to go out and do something, but I was not able to do it. It was all worth it in the end."

Chen plans to spend many an hour on the summer tournament circuit under the guidance of his coaches from the Garden State Tennis Academy. Destinations are Louisiana, Florida and Massachusetts.

An aspiring NCAA Division I player, Chen finds his name on the lips of Cornell, Lehigh, Georgetown, Northwestern and Michigan. Chen, who plans to study business, is in the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society. He studies advanced placement and honors courses.

"I am keeping things pretty open," he said. "I am talking to a lot of coaches. I would like to be on the East Coast and not too far from home, probably about five hours. Each of those schools have good tennis programs and good educational programs."

"Michael Chen is not your average high school kid who will sit around and play video games," Chelednik said. "He is far from it. His whole summer is mapped out. He's driven and focused. He's not your average junior by any stretch."

"I like to take challenges and take risks," Chen said. "If I don't succeed, I keep trying."

Chen is not afraid to look in the mirror.

"I use a lot of perseverance," he said. "I am very honest. I will tell myself how it is. I will not try to sugar coat anything. I can't try to play it off and make excuses. I have to be upright. I have to tell myself, 'You're not doing it right.' "